Just fifteen years after the premiere of HBO movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, Shonda Rhimes’ first credited feature screenplay, the Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal creator will receive the Writers Guild of America’s lifetime-achievement award.
Named after Paddy Chayefsky, the television writing award will be given to Rhimes at a ceremony on February 14.
“Few writers in television have had the impact on the medium that Shonda Rhimes has,” noted WGA-West President Chris Keyser. “Her ability to create, consistently, television that is, at once, excellent, provocative and crowd-pleasing is almost the least of it. She is a breaker of barriers. On screen, she has taken us places that were previously off limits, giving voice to characters who had been voiceless and tackling issues and touching nerves without fear. Off screen, she has been a mentor to a generation of writers — some of whom are women, some of whom are writers of color — all of whom will look to her as a pioneer in a business that is now more diverse and more vibrant because she played her part.
“She is, in every way, the embodiment of the qualities that the Television Laurel celebrates, and her Guild is proud welcome her into the select group of writers so honored.”
[via Deadline]
